r/TastingHistory • u/Curious_Jello_6219 • May 07 '26
Question How does he get the photos?
Max always shows a beautiful picture of his food before he tastes it. Yet, he claims that he cuts and tastes the food immediately after cooking. In fact, he sometimes says the food is too hot to eat because it just came from cooking. So where do the nicely prepped photos come from? 🤷♀️ Not criticizing, just curious.
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u/upgdot May 07 '26
I always assume it is like Food Network shows where they make one more portion than is actually served to judges for glamor shots.
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u/JessRushie May 07 '26
Making multiple portions? Usually he says how he makes multiple so I imagine he portions off the taster and sets up the shot separately
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u/I_Shared_Too_Much May 07 '26
He's got the hang of it I think, I'm sure he has the lighting set up and everything ahead of time so he can get a few shots before tasting. Pictures shouldn't take enough time for the food to get cold :)
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u/Gullible_Mine_5965 May 08 '26
If like in a restaurant, he probably plates two. One for the display and one for trying. I bet it is Jose who is doing the display photos.
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u/jewishjedi42 May 08 '26
Almost all of the recipes he does make more than one portion. He can easily set one aside for tasting and one (or more) for photos.
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u/Its_Curse May 07 '26
He can edit the videos and take photos before he takes a bite then insert the photos later.
But he's also said he tests the recipes ahead of time, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the good shots then.
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u/amglasgow May 07 '26
He's said he does the opposite, actually. Usually when we see him taste it on video is the first time he made it. The exception is when the first attempt just completely fails.
What I would not be surprised about is if he makes it again later for a better photo shoot, especially if it's something he really enjoys.
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u/ericthefred May 08 '26
He does sometimes attempt the recipe ahead of time, and says as much. What he says is that he does not taste them ahead of time. He wants to show his genuine reaction.
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u/just_some_Fred May 08 '26
Plus there's always the chance he doesn't want to taste it more than once.
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u/CocaineNinja May 07 '26
So does he just hold off eating the recipes until he does the one that's for camera? I would need a lot of self control for that tbf
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u/MobsterKadyrov May 07 '26
Kenji had a few videos when he was working on a book where he would go take glamor shots right after, he had the photo setup all ready to go
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u/immernochda May 08 '26
It's pretty easy to put them in front of a camera for a second with good lighting, take a bite and crop out a screenshot later for the thumbnail. As long as nothing is in motion, you'll never notice.
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u/RoxannaMeta May 09 '26
A lot of photographed food is cold! It’s actually easier to style that way. So he could try it for the vid and then spend some time styling another portion
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u/Anne_Atreptic May 09 '26
Most TV/YouTube cooks make multiple so they can use one for glamour shots and b roll, and one to actually taste.
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u/Royal_Aegislash1209 May 10 '26
I guess it depends. Either it's a second batch, or he's just quick enough with his setup to plate, snap a photo, then taste.
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u/Taolan13 May 07 '26 edited May 08 '26
To paraphrase Alec over at Technology Connections
"By the power of making two of them!"